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Chipotle Chicken Polenta Cakes

Author Notes:Since it's getting closer to summer and life has gotten hectic my motto the past couple of weeks has been either 'can be made in 15 minutes or less' or 'can be made in the wee hours of the morn before the hoards descend.' Make the polenta the night before or in the morning before you go to work and fry them up in the afternoon. Since the men in my life (at least the 1 year old and 4 year old) have sensitive palates, I reduced the number of chipotles. If it were up to me I would have dumped in the whole can.....feel free to monkey around! —Niknud

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

6
cups water

1.5
teaspoons salt

2
cups polenta

2
cups chopped chicken (from your weekend roast)

4
chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped

2
teaspoons epazote

2
tablespoons butter (unsalted)

bacon fat!

In This Recipe

Directions

Cook 2 cups of polenta according to the package instructions. For me it was the following: bring water and salt to a boil in a large sauce pan. Gradually add the polenta and reduce the heat gently simmering until cooked - about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. About 20 minutes in add the epazote and the chipotles. When you have 5 minutes to go add the chicken.

Grease (butter) a 9X11 size baking pan. When the polenta is done scoop it into the pan and level it out. Refrigerate until chilled and set.

When you get home from work (or your trip to the store or your mani-pedi or whathaveyou) heat a griddle with some lovely bacon fat over medium-high heat. If you don't have any in your fridge fry up a couple of slices to crumble over the top of your cakes when you are done. If you absolutely must I suppose you could use some neutral oil. But it's just not the same. Really. Trust me on this.

Cut your polenta into squares and fry on both sides until crispy and golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side).

Remove and top with any (or all) of the following: grated colby jack, sour cream with lime zest (my favorite), salsa, avocado, diced tomato, chopped chives or green onions, cholula....seriously I could go on and on here.